Top Nav

Flying Solo – How to Operate a Teleprompter When You Are the Presenter

So you’re sold on the idea of using PromptDog teleprompter software, but there’s just one problem . . . you don’t have anyone available to help with the shoot and you need to fly solo.

In a professional studio setup, there’s normally 5 people employed on a shoot that involves a teleprompter . . . the camera operator, an audio technician, the presenter, the director and the teleprompter operator. But for many of our clients, that’s not the case. They need to perform all those tasks simultaneously on their own.

So how does one person achieve what normally takes five?

The short answer is that it requires more than just mental dexterity, it requires some special equipment as well.

The first item is something that will be supplied with any modern camcorder by default . . . a remote control. With your remote in hand (or at least handy to your position as presenter in front of the camera), you have start/stop control at the push of a button.

Controlling PromptDog is a little more challenging, since you will often be in a standing position, some distance from the computer running the software. But by the miracle of modern technology, it is possible with the Gyration Air Mouse Elite:

The Gyration Air Mouse lets you control software on your computer (PC/Mac) even when the mouse is not grounded on a flat surface. That means you can use it when standing!

You can have fantastic cursor control even in mid-air thanks to a special jitter control built to smooth out tracking across the screen. It also has three programmable buttons AND you can program hand gestures using the bundled Motion Tools software.